After only winning two games the past two seasons, the Russellville Cyclones find themselves with a respectable 6-4 record and are preparing to face Benton with home field advantage Friday night in the Class 6A state playoffs.

Many people didn’t expect to see them here. But for the Cyclones, it had been in the works for a long time.

“I knew we were going to do well this year from the beginning,” RHS senior lineman Brandon Ruiz said. “I knew we had the athletes. We just had to put in the work. People had been down on us for two years. I got used to it. It’s what the team thinks, not what the people watching think. A bad attitude, and you’re already beat before you step on the field. It’s easy to talk like that when you’re just watching the game.”

Perhaps the Cyclones entered the season with a bit of a chip on their shoulder — or perhaps they simply entered with something to prove.

Now in the postseason, Russellville finds itself in the same position. After losing handily to Fort Smith Southside and Greenwood in the final two games of the regular season, many people are questioning the Cyclones’ longevity in the playoffs.

“We overcame a lot this season,” senior defensive back Hayden Hipps said. “I feel like if we come in playing hard, we’ve got a chance to go far and do well. It doesn’t matter what everyone thinks. What matters is our preparation.”

Russellville’s preparation started during the summer, when head coach Jeff Holt began working them through what he called “fourth-quarter drills” in an attempt to hone the team’s ability to play hard throughout the entirety of a football game.“They were hell,” Ruiz said.

The drills were 15 minutes of constant rotation through workout stations designed to increase speed, sprinting and power. The other part of preparation is knowledge.

“We have film on every game they’ve played,” Hipps explained. “We have moved fast in practice to get ready for the flow of the game and to prepare us for their speed.”

Holt said Benton will bring one of the most talented running backs the Cyclones have faced all season.

“It’s hard to simulate someone that’s really good in a practice setting,” Holt said. “but I feel like we’ve done a good job giving the team a good look at what they’re going to see with our scout team.”

Hipps said Russellville should match up fairly well defensively.

“They are about 50-50 pass and run,” he said. “They have a really good running back but our aggressive nature should shut them down pretty fast.”

The Cyclones are excited. And rightfully so. A home playoff game is a significant accomplishment.

“There are a lot of teams on the road this week,” Holt said.

“We’re not one of them. We get to play in front of our home crowd, which has been so great all year. I’m excited.